Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Moist Coconut Tartlets (HK style)

I am living in a business district in Barcelona. Besides of banks, lawyer offices and insurance companies, there are many cafes as well.

People come to office at 10. Around 10:30 they sneak out to have a cup of coffee, may or maynot have a mini sandwich but definitely some cigarettes, plus a long chat with their colleagues . At noon they'd have another coffee break since they have been "working" the whole morning. At 2:00 they're off for lunch, come back to office at 4:00. But an hour later ... oh you're so clever... yes, another coffee break! (A side note... the office hour in general is from 10 to 8, people do work for a very long hour, however their inefficiency is pretty well-known...)

I was half-joking to my husband, if I couldn't reach my bank officer/lawyer/insurance agent, I know where I could get them...

In conclusion, everyone loves cafe.

Hongkong people share a similar cafe culture... but minus the frequency... and we must eat, mostly sweet buns, pastries or tarts. In old time, these baked goods were loaded with butter, cream and eggs. This is the reason I think... back then the economy was kicking off, diversifed ingredients were imported, people were liberating their wallets, so as their stomach... So come to pastries and tarts, we like them very, very rich, from the inside filling through the outside crust.

Coconut tart is my all-time favorite. If you are a real coconut-lover, this HK-style tart is the ultimate! No no no, there is no custard inside, it is totally coconut-y! A couple of ingredients (like milk and butter) keep the filling soft, but leaving them overnight is the key to turn them moist.

(actually I made the tartlets weeks ago but couldn't post it as I had been sick. Now I am fanatically looking for the missing recipe ... please give me some time and I'd try to post it as soon as I can. Thank you)

Last but not the least, I am very happy to receive Beautiful Blog Award by Margot at Coffee and Vanilla. Being one of gorgeous blogs herself, Margot features delicious European and Caribbean cuisine, and actively promotes food blogging by organizing various events. So please check out the details of Beautiful Blog Award, you might like to nominate someone as well, or you would be the next one!